Starting from Wednesday, March 15, 2023, China will start issuing all categories of visas to foreigners. China will finally remove the travel restrictions that it put in place three years ago when COVID-19 began. China also took back its longstanding advisory against international travel.
The foreign ministry of China announced on Tuesday that the areas that were visa-free before the pandemic will be allowed visa-free. The ministry further stated that foreigners who had already obtained visas before March 28, 2020, and had not had their visas expired yet would also be able to enter China.
In early 2020, when COVID started spreading, China halted visa and passport services for foreigners and its citizens. After giving up its zero-COVID policy at the end of last year Beijing had begun accepting passport applications from its citizens on January 8.
This move is expected to lead to a significant increase in visits, especially for tourism purposes, as China was one of the most popular destinations for international travelers before the outbreak of the pandemic. Travel agencies and online platforms have started reporting a significant increase in bookings and searches for flights to various destinations.
According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization, China had the most outbound travelers in the world before the pandemic. It had grown from 4.5 million people traveling abroad in 2000 to 150 million in 2018. When on vacation, the Chinese people also spend more money than any other nationality in the world. They contributed $277 billion or 16 percent of the global total spending in that year.
Now that China will start issuing tourist visas, the number of climbers for the Everest Expedition from North Ridge Tibet will also increase. We can also expect a significant increase in tourists for the Kailash tour in Tibet. If you are also planning for a Tibet tour, Tibet Travel Guide gives you useful information and advice to make the most of your Tibet tour.
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